Tilt Bucket for 200 Class EX

A large tilt bucket is right at the top of the wish list for our new Komatsu 228 excavator. Have mostly heard real positive things about these but though I would see if there is another side to them (other than $$$). Road building and new home site prep in interior BC is primary application. Machine already has hyd thumb with ports for other hyd attachments.

Anyone want to weigh in on pros & cons, likes/dislikes, things to watch out for, etc?? Currently have Accurate quick-connect with 36" digging and 60" CO buckets. A single rock-ripper shank is also on the wish list.

tilt buckets are great...we got the gear design over the cylinder design because it allowed more movement....rent a breaker and a machine if you ever need one...its too hard on a machine espeically if its your only excvator

Yeah, breakers are hard on any machine. We plan to rent one as needed at this time. Just had to do a 110 hole blast on one site (basalt).... not sure if either a ripper or breaker would have done the job though.

I know the full 180 + motion true wrists are the most versitile, but we are not sure we would have enough real need for one to justify the cost. A +/- 45 degree twin-cylinder tilt bucket seems like it will handle 90+% of our needs at reasonable cost.

I don't know if you are really going to use a twist a wrist attachment its not easy digging in B.C. your better off spending the money on good extreme duty buckets and a rock breaker. A ripper is no good its a waste of money get a narrow digging bucket with heavy teeth so if you have to dig utility lines your not using a 1 yard dig bucket.

Its getting close to fire season in the interior so I don't know where you are going to be working you may have to take a fire wagon with you something that holds 2000 imperial gallons with pumps and hoses.

I see you have a new Komatsu make a account with Terra Tech www.terratech.ca they are the Komatsu dealer for Western Canada. They have very good service and branches and service trucks in different locations of B.C.

Werk Brau makes nice tilt bucket. My neighbor bought two 228's. generally he likes the machine. Not as stable as his CASE 225 but is more comfortable to run. He just got a 308 Komatsu that machine he really likes.

Gravel Rat..... the machine came from Terra Tech in Kamloops. Understand your point about a narrow digging bucket being almost as effective as a ripper in many cases and more versitile otherwise. Will keep in mind. Never intended to "dig" with tilt bucket.... mostly for finish grading & sloping road cuts & house pads. Not working in bush at this time.... new house sites & driveways in rural fire districts. Operator is former logger so knows fire regs.

Looked at Werk Brau site.... their model looks much like the Accurate line that is made near Vancouver. Will keep them in mind though.

Digging house sites, cutting for roads, grading, etc a tilt bucket would come in VERY handy. It wouldnt take very long for it to pay for itself with the time it saves. No need to reposition and throw a little dirt under one track to get the grade just right. Would work great for swales too.

edit: also, we have a ditching bucket from accurate with a ripper shank on the backside of it, It will rip through some rock, and you can still dig with it. Might look into something like that

I've seen the buckets with a removable ripper on the back, but mostly when we would need a ripper, we would need a SERIOUS one! Will have to look into the narrowest digging bucket that would fit this machine as another possibility.